View: Megamenu Slideshow: Welcome! megamenu slideshow

Welcome to the BMW Riders Association Web Site

If you’re serious about your riding, you’re in the right place. The BMW RA is an international community of BMW motorcycle riders focused on the machine, the marque and the company that makes it all work. It is our mission to enhance the BMW motorcycling experience for our members and provide a forum on the history, current offerings and the future of the marque. We’re glad you’re here and hope you will become part of our family of riders.

The RA Forum - Where Riders Get Together

Selected BMW Links

Here are a set of useful links to relevant BMW websites. We have them grouped into useful categories so you can find what you're looking for quickly: BMW Corporate pages, selected other Clubs, Racing info and, of course, Miscellaneous.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Mary Beth and I will be attending the FIM Rally in Finland this July. I've always wanted to see St. Petersburg, Russia. We are thinking of a 3 or 4 day cruise from Helsinki to St. Petersburg with 2 days there. You can stay 2 days without getting a VISA. Have any RA members been to St. Petersburg and/Or have taken a cruise there? Any tips about tour companies and what to see would be appreciated! Please e-mail me at rockers@centurytel.net

I have been to St Petersburg 9 times since Dec 2005 and my Russian wife lived there up until Oct '09, so I can offer a little information. First off - the historic section around the Winter Palace, the Fortress, and the major cathedrals including the Resurection of Christ mosaic church, along Nevsky Prospect is wonderful and there are many places to see - just walking around. It would be a really good idea to plan to see Peterhof, which can be reached by a hydroplane ride starting from the riverbank near the Winter Palace. If you have time, a tour of Tsarsjoe Selo, or Catherine Palace, in Pushkin is also worth the trip by bus or commuter rail. Lastly, if you can manage it, see a ballet there. Even if you don't care for ballet, it will change your mind. The Mariinsky Ballet (ex Kirov Ballet) is very high priced and there are other troups and venues that I liked much better. You will find English is something of a 2nd language in the historic areas, but language can be a problem. My wife is unable to recommend a tour group but because of the language, you will enjoy and understand more if you have a guide. Possibly you could arrange a personal guide and that would be most excellent!. I would think your cruise line would also have arranged tours available.

I've been at SPb several times. It's great city! However, I was interested first of all in the nightlife. Bars, slubs...u know;) So if u r interested in this, highly resommend St-Pete. Rubinstejna street and Dumskaya street will burn u! The most interesting thing is that there are a lot of different places at the city center - not only old-school bars, but also nightclubs, stripclubs, other different places in close proximity to the famous Nevsky Prospect! My favourite places are XXXX, Golden dolls, Dead Poets bar and Lomonosov bar. And I have a russian wife too now. She's the best wife, because - speaking like HIMYM series - she's a stripper! I've met her in my favourite Zavistbar, so close to Nevsky, theaters and white nights. And this was very hot story;)